Can You Use a Pergola, Gazebo, or Pop-Up Canopy as a Sukkah? What Makes It Kosher (and What to Buy Instead)
Every September we get some version of this phone call: “I already have a pergola over the patio—can I just throw bamboo on top and call it a sukkah?” Sometimes it’s the gazebo version. Increasingly it’s the pop-up canopy version: there’s a 10×10 EZ-Up in the garage left over from a soccer tournament, and Sukkot…
How Much Schach Do You Need? A Coverage Guide by Sukkah Size (8×10, 10×12, 10×16 and More)
Every year around Elul, the phone starts ringing with some version of the same question: “How much schach do I need?” Usually the caller has a sukkah frame in the garage, a tape measure in hand, and a vague memory of coming up short last year. It’s a good question, and the answer is more…
Can Schach Rest on Plastic?
Understanding Kosher Sukkah Construction When building your sukkah for Sukkot, one critical halachic question often arises: Can schach rest on plastic? This question touches on fundamental requirements for kosher sukkah construction and affects how you design your sukkah’s roof support system. The Short Answer: No, Schach Cannot Rest Directly on Plastic According to Jewish law,…
